V] 82 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
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e v e r y 
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Garden and Farm Notes 
Garden Notes from New England 
Pakt I. 
Mulching Vegetables. —Mulching the 
garden vegetables seems likely to become 
a common practice among amateurs, at 
least in this section. It is being tried out 
in an experimental way this season, and 
the results promise to be highly satisfac¬ 
tory. Of course, the mulching of straw¬ 
berries and other berries has been car¬ 
ried on for a long time, but it has been a 
new idea to apply the mulching theory to 
tomatoes, and especially to potatoes. The 
plan hasn't been undertaken wholly with¬ 
out precedent, however, for several gar¬ 
den makers grew their potatoes by the 
mulching system last season, and one of 
them was so well pleased with the result 
that he took the trouble to write a letter 
to the Department of Agriculture, telling 
of his success. 
Potatoes T'xder Straw.— In my own 
garden I have a potato patch which has 
never seen a cultivator or a hoc. I put 
the potatoes in furrows two inches deep 
and covered them with a thick mat of 
straw through which the plants grew with 
the utmost ease, but which has kept down 
most of the weeds and grass, and under 
which the soil is as loose and moist as 
though cultivation had been kept up every 
week. Of course the proof of the pud¬ 
ding. so to speak, will come in the eating, 
but reports from Missouri (where it is 
understood that people insist upon being 
shown more positively than anywhere 
else I, say that the mulching plan has 
lieved, by a long season of dry weather 
followed by a wet spell, the tissue becom¬ 
ing attenuated and not in a condition to 
take up the sudden influx of moisture.- 
' E. I. FARRINGTON. 
A Defense of the Robin 
On page 1088 someone says, “The robin 
is a nuisance and a robber. He destroys 
more fruit for us than any other song 
bird, and we think he is of little help as 
an insect destroyer.” I am afraid who¬ 
ever answered this either has no chance to 
watch the robins when they are feeding 
their young, or else he has not tried to, 
I wish to assure you that I have seen 
them kill the gypsy caterpillar, also the 
little worms that infest the elm (light 
green at one and and darker green at the 
other; I do not know their name) ; also 
when you see him on the lawn he is not 
always after angleworms, but is getting 
cutworms, and in the rose garden, after it 
is dug up, he goes over it thoroughly to 
get these cutworms. I have seen these 
through good field glasses, and there is no 
mistake. If Russian mulberries are set 
out you will find birds prefer these to 
any other fruits, and I have robins, cat¬ 
birds. king birds, purple finches, rose¬ 
breasted grosbeaks, cedar wax-wings and 
bluebirds that come for them regularly. 
<>f course the robin is very tame and does 
eat fruit, but he does an immense amount 
of good, and there are few birds that do 
not. do some damage. I had a man in to 
see me this week who was complaining of 
DO DITCHING THIS FALL 
Prevent winter rains smothering the soil. Pot 
land m „.iape for early spring work. Get your 
ditching and terracing done now with 
■ and Grader 
Wwki hi M 1 J mil ViIm •• V' ditch 
•r ,1 mu ditch** down 4 ft. deep, dll lt«i. 
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•WEHSDDRO DITCHER < CRUDER CD, I 
Dm 134, Onnkin, Rjr. 
10 Days Free Trial 
1 2 story, 12-room house; papered, 
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_ . . — painted red. 160 sheep, four 
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Hall’s Farm Agency, Corning, Steuben Co., New York 
^.01 Asrae miles. Port .Jervis, Orange 
harm ** Here* Co-i \j. y.. mile Huguenot; 
mostly level state road; 7-room house, 2 
barns; fa>r condition. S7.500 ; possession at once. 
Easy terms. HARRY VAIL. New Milford, Orange Co., M. Y. 
For Sale- Several Urgt Farms KRfiZtfSS 
trie light, hath and hot water heat. Also retail inillt 
business, over 2,006 Quarts weekly. Cheap. Full par¬ 
ticulars given on request. W. S. BERGER. Perkasie, Pa. 
Profitable FARM FOR SALE 
113 acres, suitable for potatoes and grain or dairying; 2 
large houses. Isn ns and outbuildings. Good water supply. 
14 niilee-east of Trenton. INHA M. f. DE C0U. Cream Rld|*. R. J. 
FARM HOMES: s^t: 
writ* State Board of Agriculture, Dover, Delaware 
It priced right and within 150 miles from 
here, we can sell your farm. Submit do 
tails. E. E. SLOCUM, 141 IrMdwsr. N«« I«rk City 
h, w m |VBmur*TCP One man, one horse, one 
nAHWfceltn Self (tethering. Kquel to e Corn 
LIlH H Binder. Bold direct to Firmer* for 22 yrs. Only E26 
VVItER with fodder hinder. Free Cetaloar ehowina picture* 
of Barretter. PROCERS CORK HARVESTER CO. — r - - 
PRINTED FarmSiationery Samples for any business 
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rAnm rfilRIInu. prepaid, quotations on any printing 
furnished. CHATHAM COURIER CO., Chatham, N. Y. 
Binder Twine 
, our low 1919 prices. Farm- 
gents wanted. Sample free. 
0. BURT & SONS. Melrose, Ohio 
T HE BI CC WEEK FARMER. »1.50. Book Catalog. 
J. C, FOTH, 3rd Ave. at 183rd St., N, Y. City 
Two Excellent Vegetable Books 
By R. L Watts 
Vegetable Gardening ..... $1.75 
Vegetable Forcing ....... 2.00 
For sale by 
The Rural New-Yorker 
333 W. 30th SL, New York 
JL . ’ ■ ■ JL- ~ 
Tomatoes Growing 
given a better crop than any other meth¬ 
od. and that potatoes have averaged to 
keep better. I understand that some 
growers in that section have several acres 
of mulched potatoes. 
Staking Tomatoes. —There seems to 
be a general disposition on the part of 
gardeners to forsake the plan of growing 
tomatoes on stakes. Commercial grow¬ 
ers find that the extra profits, if there are 
any. are more than consumed by tjie cost 
of the labor as conditions are now, and 
private gardeners object to the extra 
work. The claim is made that staked 
tomatoes will ripen earlier than those not 
staked, but I am not convinced of this 
fact, taking the seasons as they come. I 
am inclined to think that when the weath¬ 
er is a little cool the tomatoes close to 
the ground will ripen more quickly than 
those higher up in the air, because they 
will get the benefit of the warmth from 
the soil. When a heavy straw mulch is 
used under tomatoes, the fruit does not 
rot by coming into contact with the soil, 
and there is but little waste. Of course 
the plants cannot be set so close together 
as when they are staked, but this means 
a less expense for plants, which is an item 
of some importance considering the prices 
charged this year. 
Trellises. —Many private gardeners 
who do not care for the plan of training 
their tomatoes to stakes and keeping the 
laterals cut off. still like to keep the 
plants off the ground. I have been sur¬ 
prised at the number of different devices 
gotten up to bring this about. One fa¬ 
vorite plan with private gardeners on es¬ 
tates is to make an A-shaped trellis about 
three feet high, the plants being set on 
each side and allowed to grow over the 
scantling nailed to the uprights. # This is 
a simple plan, and makes the picking of 
the crop easy. No particular training is 
done, although some of the extra growth 
is usually trimmed off. While many 
growers prefer to stop the plants when 
they reach the top of the trellis, others 
let them make a heavy top growth, espe¬ 
cially near the end of the season, allowing 
the foliage to fall down over the plants. 
It is believed that in this way the fruit 
is protected from frosts late in the season. 
Even when this plan is followed, the use 
of straw as a mulch has some advan¬ 
tages, at least in a dry season, chief of 
which being the fact that it keeps the 
moisture in the ground and thus serves to 
prevent the end rot of the fruit. This 
trouble, which is very common in some 
seasons, and greatly disturbs amateur 
gardeners, while causing a heavy loss to 
commercial growers, is caused, it is be- 
oii A-shapcd Trellis 
the chipmunks spoiling his peas, and said 
he had shot 48; also moles eating into 
the potatoes and cleaning them all out, 
but he got rid of them also. A year or 
two ago a man told me that some birds (I 
have forgotten the kind) were eating his 
peas. I went out and watched, and. in¬ 
stead of the birds he mentioned. I found 
it was English sparrows, and there were 
plenty of them, too. If anyone will get a 
nice pair of glasses and watch the birds 
of all kinds he will get a great surprise, 
as well as to be interested in the way they 
go at it. I know it is aggravating to lose 
the strawberries or other fruit, but un¬ 
less you cover them with old-fashioned 
mosquito netting, or furnish them (the 
birds) with something they like better, 
we shall have to stand it, but with the 
multitude of all kinds of bugs, worms, 
lice, etc., we certainly need lots of birds. 
Massachusetts. j. t. mellus. 
R. N.-Y.—Some of us hardly like to 
wait until the mulberries can grow to 
fruiting. We have watched the robins 
with great care, and we still think this 
bird is of less value as a destroyer of 
injurious insects than most other song 
birds. 
Countrywide Produce Situation 
HIGH APPLE VALUES INDICATED. 
The apple situation is beginning to 
loom up. The most definite sign is the 
report of advance contracts made for 
future delivery of box apples in the North¬ 
west. Buyers seem to be paying $1.75 
to $3 per box, orchard run. Early in¬ 
quiries run $2 to $2.50 and late varieties 
$1.75 to $3. according to variety. Wine- 
saps, the leading late shipping kind, 
ranged $2 to $2.25. These prices aver¬ 
aged about $1 higher than last year, but 
many growers asked more and are re¬ 
ported unwilling to accept these prices. 
The Western box apple crop is much 
larger than last year, but the prices seem 
to be inflated as a result of the light crop 
in Eastern barrel sections and the high 
prices of most fruits this season. It is 
needless to say that such quotations sug¬ 
gest high values for Eastern fruit, accord¬ 
ing to grade. 
Last year Eastern apple growers netted 
about the same as Western. This year 
there is less fruit in the East, hut more 
in the West. < )n the other hand, there 
is the sugar shortage to be reckoned with, 
and for that reason the grower who sells 
in advance and includes his No. 2 stock, 
will be on the safe side. The prices 
quoted correspond, roughly, with a range 
August 9, 1919 
of $4 to $G per bbl., < orchard run, for 
such kinds as Baldwins, Yorks and Spys. 
EXPORT DEMAND. 
Inquiries from Northern Europe indi¬ 
cate vigorous demand from countries that 
have long been deprived of such luxuries. 
The British price limit is reported likely 
to be the same as last year, around $16 
per bbl., which, if reached, would leave 
a big profit for exporters who buy at any 
figures like the prices suggested. Fruit 
freight rates are very much lower than 
last. year. The conditions likely to sur¬ 
round the export of apples to other coun¬ 
tries in Europe are still uncertain. It is 
understood that agents from these coun¬ 
tries are now looking up prospective 
apple yields and prices in order to decide 
what kind of price restrictions should be 
established the coming season. 
THE PEACH CROP. 
Prices are $3 to $4.50 per bu. for best 
varieties and grades. Supplies are still 
chiefly from the Southern and Sourh- 
western. States, but intermediate sections 
;u-e beginning. Indications are that the 
Northern crop will be less than antici¬ 
pated. owing to persistent dropping of 
the fruit. Pears are moving largely from 
Pacific ( oast sections and are bringing 
$3-$4 per box at auction in Eastern cit¬ 
ies. Eastern plums promise well so far 
as concerns the set of fruit, hut weather 
favors rot in many sections. Blackber¬ 
ries prove a very healthy crop all over the 
country. These are one of the very few 
fruits to be unusually abundant this sea¬ 
son. The juice factories are active and 
all sorts of new blackberry concoctions 
nmy be looked for. The heavy buying for 
juice production seems to be a heavy 
mainstay for the berry market this sea¬ 
son. 
LARGE POTATO CROP PROBABLE. 
The potato situation has features of 
special. interest. Shipments are persist¬ 
ently light from Virginia and adjoining 
States, owing to small acreage, lack of fer¬ 
tilizers and considerable bad crop weather. 
New Jersey shipments are increasing but 
the crop seems to be rather light. The 
Middle West, especially Ivaw Valley, 
Kansas, is shipping heavily and so is 
California. Conditions make for irreg¬ 
ular.^ unsettled prices but quotations hold 
at $a to $8 50 per barrel in leading city 
markets. The Northern crop is pro¬ 
gressing fairly well, although the weather 
is too dry in the Northwest and condi¬ 
tions favor blight in some parts of the 
East. The potato acreage is so large 
that with the good average yield now in¬ 
dicated, the disposal of the crop will pre¬ 
sent the same large problem as in the two 
preceding years. Sweet potatoes will 
compete more vigorously than ever before 
if yield corresponds to acreage. Most of 
the crop is used locally, but more may 
be shipped this year with the support of 
the new storage projects, which will 
lengthen, the market season. Canadian 
competition bids fair to be about the same 
as last year, but the whole potato situa¬ 
tion may be quickly changed by occur¬ 
rence of widespread blight or by unsea¬ 
sonable frosts. G B F 
Buffalo Markets 
Berries are quite above the reach of 
most people, and California red plums 
retail at 2c each. Old potatoes are low; 
new ones are high, but of fine quality. 
Butter does not. advance, as all sections 
have not had the drought that has pre¬ 
vailed in Western New York. Rains 
last week lifted it somewhat. A few 
home-grown Summer apples are in. Cher¬ 
ries are about gone. Southern peaches 
are in great quantity, but the home crop 
will be short, as will apples. 
^Potatoes are 40 to 80c per bu. for old, 
$7.75 to $3_per bbl. for new Southern. 
Apples, $1.75 to $8 per hamper for home¬ 
grown : peaches, $3 to $4 per bu. for 
Southern : beans. $7.50 to $11 per cwt.; 
onions, $3 to $8.50 per bu. for home¬ 
grown : raspberries, 2S to 84c for all col¬ 
ors ; blackberries, 25 to 30c; huckleber¬ 
ries, 25 to 28c; currants, 22 to 25c for 
red. 32 to 35e for black, all per qt. South¬ 
ern and fancy fruits are steady; oranges, 
$4.50 to $0.25 ; lemons, $0 to $8 per box ; 
limes. 50 to 75c per 100; bananas, $3.75 
to $7 per bunch for ripe; $2 to $3 for 
green; watermelons, $40 to $00 per 100; 
muskmelons, $2 to $3 per crate. 
Vegetables, heavy receipts, demand im¬ 
proved ; cabbage, $8 to $8.50 per 100 lbs.; 
string beans. $1 to $1.50 per bu.; new 
beets. 25 to 80c; carrots, 25 to 30c; cel¬ 
ery, 25 to 35c per doz. bunches; cucum¬ 
bers. $1 to $1.50 pet* hamper; lettuce, $1 
to $1.75 per 2-doz. box; peas. $8.50 to $4 
per bag; peppers, $2 50 to $8 per Jersey 
crate: parsley, 35 to 40c; radishes, 25 to 
30c. all per doz. hunches; tomatoes, $1.40 
to $1.60 per 20-lb. basket; pieplant, 50 
to 75c per dozen bunches. 
Butter is steady at 50 to 57c for cream¬ 
ery, 45 to 50c. for dairy or crocks. 43 to 
44c for common. 35 to 37c for oleomar¬ 
garine; cheese, 33 to 35c for all domestic 
grades; eggs, plenty, fair demand. 54 to 
60c for hennery. 47 to 52c for State and 
Western candled. 
Poultry is easy for live and steady for 
dressed, 47 to 49c for frozen turkeys, 32 
to 37c for fowl, 37 to 38c for roasters 
and chickens, 42 to 45c for broilers, 25 to 
26c for live roosters. 32 to 35c for live 
ducks. 24 to 25c. for live geese, with 
dressed poultry 2 to 3c higher than live. 
Maple sugar is dull at $1.75 to $2 per 
gal.: sugar, IS to 25e per lb.; honey, 33c 
per lb. for extract. Ilay is rapidly de¬ 
clining on account of the heavy crop: 
quoted at $26 to *$31 for all grades of 
Timothy. j. \v. 0* 
